New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-10
NO. 222.

not like him. 1t was very cuiiOrs.
lie was small gray man, with no comeliness
about Lin, and as lean as q volume of minor
poetry When on parade with the other prs-
Oners, he hitched up his left shoulder in manner
that gave offence TO the Deputy Governor: and
in his pri on clothes which fitted him Indifferent
ly, he looked as awkward as q man who has just
been sentenced to be hanged. 10 be sure lie had
an eye Of very piercing quality, and habit of
fixing il with disquieting effect upon persons who
addressed him brsqucly or with unnecessary
haIshness and this power of the eye appears to
have been tie chief cause OF the offence which
the sliave and gentle CONVICT had gwen TO the
warders of the gaOl
For example, junior warder whom the pils-
oner had summoned TO his cell one night, on some
trivial occasion, told his brother officers in the
in the look of Number 222' which he couldn't
make out, and couldn't stand - whereupon divers
other warders conf ssed 10 having felt q similar
influence in the presence of Number 222.
Strange, too, that his fellow prisoners well
rs the warders made similar admissions to one
another touching the effect which had been ex-
erciscd on them by the eye or the presence of
Number 222. One said that he felt cold, another
that he felt "Queer,' whenever Number 222 was
near him; third that he had an itching scnsa-
ton in his leg and fourth that he had the
shivers down the back.
More remarkable still were the experiences re-
counted by tie convict who had sat on the left
hand Of Number 222 at meal times. This man
told his friends lin terms which would be lntel-
gible only to readers who had "scrvcd their time y
that he had been moved by an unaccountable
impulse to share his bread at dinner with the
iteichbor on his right though he wanted the
bread himself, and " didn't like the look of his
neighbor's eye For q whole week he resisted the
impulse and then succumbed. passing half his
bread to Number 222, who took II, and
thanked him, and ate it.
By-and-by a like story was told by the prisoner
whose place during meals was at the right hand
of Number 222. An impulse seized him at dinner
to share his mutton with the man on his left,
and he obeycd it, though lie could not say why,
for he never got as much mutton as he wanted
and he hated the eye of Number 222
Number o22 was man named John McGibbon,
who had passed into prison the result of
ingenious but unsuccessful attempt to pay old
debts in new way. Being of a genuine philoso
phic temperament, he bowed resignedly to the in
evitabe, and made himself as comfortable as he
could. Amongst his re1axatiOns were the occa-
sional visits of the chaplain, fat and pleasant
man. who would listen with an air Of surprise
while the prisoner told him many strange tricks
in cards. and the profits that might proceed from
tho slxilful manipulation Of a double pack Not
infreouently the chaplain dissented from the
prisoners views cardplaying, and on these
occasions Number 222 would reply that when he
alluded to the concealment of aces In the
sleeve Of an experienced player, lie did not sug-
gest thai his hearer should resort to such pract
His object was merely TO eXpound the possibilities
of an art Of which lie desired that the chaplain
should never become the victim. knowledge,
even Of this peculiar kind, nc SAID, may be oil
service, sir, to the best of us, i'll circumstances
which can never be foretold" Sometimes the
chaplain was disposed TO get up and 60 While one
of these discusses was in progress, but as often
as he attempted this glance from the prisoners
eve drew him to his seat asain, and he was power
less to move until he felt that the prisoner by his
own will released him. thus the chaplain was
also drawn within the influence of that mysterious
eye.
Extraordinary things began to happen in the
prison, and it became evident that the internal
order Of that establishment was less strictly kept
than before This made for the comfort Of the
prisoners and for the discomfort Of the officers.
More than once the warder whose duty it was
10 ring the bell for rising was half an hour late
at his post The prisoners slept agreeably during
that half hour but very bad quarter Of an hour
was subsequently experienced by the neglectful
warder.
The chaplain had well meant but tedious habit
Of expanding his Sunday sermon all at once he
became very pleasantly brief yet it seemed that
his brevty was quite involuntary, for he would
stop short and pronounce the bencdiction in the
very middle of an argument.
Curious things happened to warders who had
made themselves unpopular among the prisoners.
uhey went to sleep quite early in the afternoon
while presiding over gang III the workshop !;
they forgot how to count their men on parade !;
they shouldeIed their rifles upside down; they
made rointless Jokes in the presence of the Deputy
Governor, which he greatly disliIed they carried
prisoners for punishment before the Governor and
did not remember what they had charged them
with
Several of the warlers laid their heads together
In the messroom and said they believed Number
p22 was the source of all this mischief. They
agreed thereupon that the life of this prisoner
must be made burden to him, that he might cease
IN bo mn nf
tho wardeIs.
Now in this prison they had favorte foolish
way of annoying the prisoners by ordering them
down stairs to have their hair cut 1t was a
form of persecution which no one resented more
than Number 222, whose hair had been in happier
days his chief personal vanlty. Ills intense dis
like to come under the shears of the prison bar
Der who always made what he called q smooth
Dob of his victims head was known to assist
ant warder, who laid his plans accordingly; and
having his gang about him in the tail0rs room
on the afternoon following the discussion in the
mess room, he presently called out:
"o22, take yer stool and 20 down stairs and
have yer air cut
The hand of Number egg went instantly to his
head, ard felt it all over in slow careful man.
ner There was not one particular hair upon II
that exceeded a quarter OF an inch in length.
everybody in the room knew his hatred Of the
barber. and as nc had been chopped three times
already in less than month, it was evident that
the order was mere Iiccc Of gratuitous tyranny
bn the warder's part.
The warder a poor creature with weak
eyes and an irresolute mouth and Number 222
An his unassumiDg way took the measure Of Lin
Ut once.
He rose and in q respectful tone requested the
attention Of the warder TO the extraordinarily
scantv condition Of his POLL adding that it was
with regret he felt compelled to declipe eompli-
ence with the order.
ahe warder sat bolt upright on his perch. and
looked as If something had snapped inside him.
The other prisoners were no less aghast, and
zen to wondering whether Number zee would get
q months bread and water, or a fogging.
AL this while Number 222 was gazing quietly
but fxedly upon the weal-faced wardcr.
The officer repeated his order in voice that
BEGAN in a roar and ended in O low rattle With